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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. key — in music
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. press — a publisher
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. field — for sport
  11. key — for a lock
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. press — to push
  16. shower — to wash
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. key — the most important part
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. press — newspapers
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. ball — a dance
  24. shower — rain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com